Stacking guide for crates, boxes, and cases



July 24, 1951 J. F. CELLA 2,561,561

STACKING GUIDE FOR CRATES, BOXES AND CASES Filed June 7, 1949 Fig.1.

1' Nl "EN TOR.

Patented July 24, 1951 OFFICE STACKIN G GUIDE FOR CRATES, BOXES, ANDCASES Joseph F. Celia, Crestwood, N. Y.

Application June 7, 1949, Serial No. 97,512

3 Claims.

This invention relates to stacking guides adapted for use on varioustypes of containers, such as crates, boxes or cases used for holdingmilk bottles or other bottled goods, and various other commodities.

In cases or crates of this character rigid projections are generallyprovided at the four top corner portions of the crate, such projectionsarising from the top of the crate on the inside of the same. Whenanother crate is placed on top of the first, the four upwardlyprojecting stacking guides will extend upwardly into the open bottom ofthe upper crate at the inside corners thereof and thus align the uppercrate with respect to the under one. These rigid, upwardlyextendingguides are often damaged by crates placed on top of them, often becomingbent and thus disaligned and preventing proper stacking of the crates.To withstand the rough treatment imposed upon them, these rigid stackingguides must be made of heavy gauge metal and despite this are very oftenknocked out of alignment.

The present invention therefore contemplates the provision of a stackingguide which will be free from the disadvantages above mentioned; whichwill be located at the bottom of the case or crate rather than at thetop thereof, and which will automatically be moved out of projectingposition when the crate is rested upon a floor, conveyor or other flatsurface. Another object of the invention is to provide a stacking guidewhich will be gravity-controlled; that is to say, will descend intooperative or projecting position only when the crate is raised orelevated from a supporting surface and will drop into guiding positionwhen oneplate is placed on top of another.

These and other objects are attained by the invention, a more particulardecription of which will hereinafter appear and be set forth in theclaims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of theinvention is disclosed,

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through an end wall of a crate or case,looking at one of the corners of the crate on the inside of the same andshowing one of the improved stacking guides; Fig. 2 is a sectional viewtaken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking inthe direction of the arrows and showing the guide in its loweredposition; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a case or crate, on a reducedscale, showing two of the stacking guides in lowered or guidingposition, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the stackingguides.

In the drawing is shown a box, case or crate of a character generallyemployed for containing milk bottles or other commodities. Such a crateusually has an open or mesh bottom and wire partitions or separatorslocated between the bottles, and other elements not herein shown. In theform shown, one of the side walls of the box, which may be either ofmetal or of relatively thick wood, is shown at l, and a metal end wallshown at 2. ihe lower end of the end wall 2 is reinforced by ametal-enclosed cross brace 3. The open bottom of the crate is shown atI2.

The side wall I and the end wall 2 are disposed at right angles to oneanother and joined to provide the conventional corner joint in which thestacking guide is located. It will be understood that a similar stackingguide is located in each of the four corners of the crate, hence adescription of one will suffice for the others.

One of the stacking guides is generally indicated at 4 and is shown indetail in Fig. 5. It will be therein noted that the same is an angularmetal member or piece having a vertical flange 5 which is disposedflatwise against the inner face of the side wall I near the cornerjunction of this wall with the end wall 2. The flange 5 is formed with avertically-arranged slot 1 which fits loosely around a projecting partof a headed pin or rivet 8 secured in and extending from the wall I ofthe crate.

Located at right angles to the vertical flange 5 is a similar verticalflange 6 which is disposed against the inner face of the lower portionof the end wall 2 or againstthe inside face of the cross brace 3 nearthe corner junction of the same with the side wall I substantially asshown in Fig. 2. At its lower end, the guide t is formed with aninturned reinforcing flange H lending rigidity and strength to theguide.

From the foregoing, the operation of the stacking guide will be readilyunderstood. It is understood that there is one of each of these guideslocated in each inside corner of the box or crate, two of the guidesbeing shown in the side elevation of the box or crate inFig. 4. When thebox or crate is placed upon a flat support, such as the floor, aconveyor belt or other flat surface, the lower flanges ll of the fourstacking guides will come into contact with the surface upon which thebox or crate is rested, and the guides 4 will thereupon be forcedupwardly until the lower ends of the same are at least flush with thebottom l2 of the crate. This will be noted in Fig. 1, wherein [3indicates a floor or other supporting surface on which the crate hasbeen rested. At this time, the guide 4 has been forced upwardly so thatthe rivets 8 and Ill have reached the bottoms of their respective slots'2' and 9. The slots being freely movable on the rivets permit theguides to be readily raised or elevated as above described. Thus, thebox or crate may be readily slid about on a floor, sidewalk,conveyorbelt or other relatively fiat support without damage tocontactwith a-supporting surface. 7

Whenithebox or crate is raised or is picked up from the supportingsurface [3, pressure is no longer imposed upon the lower ends of theguides;

4 and hence the same are at, once free to drop down or descend bygravity to the downwardl -J projecting position shown in Figs. 3 and 4.The" limit of descent of the guides is determined by the rivets 8 and Ireaching the upper limits oi the slots 1 and 9 in which said rivets aredis posed, in the manner disclosed in Fig. 3,. v 7

With the guides in the;downwardly-projecting position, the crate islifted and placed on top of another rate, he guides readily findingtheir way into the upper four corners of the lower crate l4 3) thusaligning the two crates into properly stacked relations-hip.

Since the stacking guides are only exposed and projected out of thebottom of the crate while thelcrate is raised or is held in position tobe stacked, and are maintained up out of harms. way while the. crate isresting on the floor or other support, it will be apparent that aconsiderable measure of protection is afforded for the guides and thepossibility of the same being deformed or damaged by the roughhandlingimposed upon these crates will be; greatly reduced.

I have herein shown the guides as being of a certain form and shapeadapted for application to bottle crates; and similar containers.However, it will be understood that, the shape and form of the guidelargely determined by the type of crate or; box to, whichitis applied,hence changes may. be made both in the guides, in the form of box orcrate to which it is applied, andin its manner of application tothecrate or container, h ut epartin om the ri o t e in eni t escq e f. hai s a p nded h to.

What I- claim is;

l, A stackin guide 'forcrates; comprising, a crate having a pair ofinwardly projectingpins adjacent to one of; its inside lowercorners, ana l iec ha n slo ted vertica 1s. the slots. n sa d llsrece v e he pin ot e e y att ch the angle-piece to he corner f. t crate and. permit saidangle-piece to have a limited sliding movement, such movement allowingthe piece to d end brenari y ohrine; its lower end below the lower endof the crate and to permit the piece to be elevated to an extent tobring its lower end flush with the bottom oi the crate and. house the Ipiece within the crate when the crate is rested upon the floor or on asimilar supporting surface. A stacking guide for a container comprising,an open-bottom container having a side wall and an end wall connected toform a corner, an

angular stacking guide located in said corner within the crate, saidguide having slots, pins projecting inwardly from the walls of the slotsand passing through the slots, said pin-and-slot arrangement permittinthe guide to descend by gravity to the limit of its slots in onedirection and to an extent to cause. the. lower end of, the stackingguide to; be disposed below the bottom offthe. container, saidpin-andrsl'ot arrangement also permitting the, guide to be elevated inthe. opposite direction when the container is rested upon a flatsurface. to. bring the lower end of the guide at least flush with thelower end of the container.

3. 'In a container, a side Wall and an end. wall angularly meeting andjoined together to form. a corner of the container, a stacking guide onthe inside of the container overlying inner surfaces of the sidewall andend walls of said con tainer; said, stacking guide being in the form ofan angular member having slotted vertical flanges, pins in the walls ofthe container extending through they slots in said flanges and uponwhich the guide is slidable, said stacking guide having limited raisingand lowering movement on said pins whereby upon the descent of the guideby gravitythe lower end ofv the guide; will project below the bottom ofthe container, said guide being capable of raising movementby; contactwith a flat surface when the container is resting on, its base upon suchsurface. 7

JOSEPH F. CELLA.

REFERENCES CITED The-following references. are of, record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,6893%? White i Oct. 30, 1928'1,834,649 Walp Jan. 1'7; 1933- 2;053;,9j69 Olds Sept. 8; 1936 57,842Sm-ithetal' I Y Jan. 4, 1949

